Within the last twenty-four hours, three different conversations with three different people, in three different settings, seemed to defy coincidence. 
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A young mother, an immigrant, who celebrated her 32nd bithday last week, sat with her three year old daughter, making art at my home, as she volunteered that she had been wondering what the purpose of her life was, who was she really and why was she here? She said she has all that she could want, a good husband, kid, education, job, home, family, friends, health, etc and the luxury of time to ponder on this question. She appreciated that she had a life without struggle that allowed her to ponder on this. And that she is continuing her search with a meditation program. 

A 68 year old man, raised in California, who has an invention that helps disabled veterans and is trying to find ways to take the invention to a product that can be launched to reach those who can benefit from it, was wondering, how long does he have to struggle to get this launched. He said his family had given up on him a long time ago, and maybe the responsible thing to do would be to fold it now since he had already given this several years of his life. "What is the purpose of my life? What should I be doing?" was what he mused aloud. 

An Asian man who has been a martial arts instructor for 34 years told me that he finds he has been helping people and abusing his body that has suffered injuries over the years. He said that he spends time with the people he helps and then after some time has to move on. "I have been running. I am tired of running. My body hurts with this most recent injury. I have had to learn the healing arts because of all my injuries. I have to move on, and maybe that is the purpose of my life. To help people for a short while and then move on. I wonder what the purpose of my life is?"

Three people asking similar questions made me wonder whether I ought to be asking myself this too. I remember asking this question when I was a teenager in college (a few decades ago now). It used to be a time to sit around with friends in student coffee houses discussing random things. I recall reading Douglas Adam's A Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy that had a science-fiction fantasy-like answer to this very question of the purpose of life. Since then, whenever I find myself asking this question, I just go back to that precise answer. It seems as absurd or meaningful as any other. For now, as I have been reminded of this question, my purpose today is to listen to people's stories and pass them on. Life is a delightful journey of discovery, that unfolds with surprises at every stage.